Intelsat 14

Part of an industry-government 3-year program to demonstrate the use of an
internet router in space: Internet Routing In Space (IRIS).

Cisco will provide commercial IP networking software for the on-board router
and SEAKR Engineering Inc. will manufacture the space-hardened router and
integrate it into the IRIS payload. Concerto Advisors, a financial advisory
firm based in Iowa City, IA, is organising equity financing for a new company
to provide the funds to design, build and operate the equipment used for the
demonstration.

IRIS will serve as a computer processor in the sky, merging communications
being received on various frequency bands and transmitting them to multiple
users based on data instructions embedded in the uplink. The IRIS payload will
interconnect one C-band and two Ku-band coverage areas. The IRIS architecture
and design allow for flexible IP packet (layer 3) routing or multicast
distribution that can be reconfigured on demand. With the on-board processor
routing the up and down communications links, the IRIS payload is expected to
enhance satellite performance and reduce signal degradation from atmospheric
conditions.

Cisco later announced that its router is functionning properly and provided
99.95% availability during tests.